CHICAGO MEDIA ACTION ALERT: APRIL 24, 2007
http://www.chicagomediaaction.org
There are two actions in this alert:
1) SPECIAL BILL MOYERS BROADCAST EVENT TONIGHT
Enjoy good coffee, food, and conversation, and watch the broadcast of
the premiere installment of the new PBS series "Bill Moyers Journal".
It features his new documentary "Buying the War".
* Special national phone call: Come early between 8PM and 9PM and ask
Bill Moyers a question on your cell phone!
film review -- http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/21146
view clip -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Kngf803dQ
8PM Wednesday, April 25 (broadcast starts at 9PM) at Pick a Cup Coffee
House, 1813 Dempster, Evanston (1/2 block east of Dodge and Dempster)
"Buying the War" documents "the lies that the Bush administration told
to sell the Iraq War to the American public, with a special focus on how
the media led the charge... you’ll never watch television news again -
not even on PBS, which comes in for its share of criticism." -- David
Swanson, AfterDowningStreet.org
* This free event is organized by Chicago Media Action and Free Press.
* Coffee and food will be available for purchase.
* "Bill Moyers Journal" will air at 9PM Fridays starting April 27th.
(Please Note: It’s safe to watch PBS / WTTW in the case of "Bill Moyers
Journal". You won’t get the cooties or be fooled into a stupid war or
anything.)
Evanston too far away? Here's a link to find a similar event closer to
you: http://freepress.net/content/partysearch
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2) FIGHT AT&T'S TERRIBLE ILLINOIS HOUSE BILL HB1500 TODAY
While you go about your daily life, AT&T's numerous telecommunications
lobbyists -- you can be assured -- have been attending to their business
as well, trying their best to eliminate, in one fell swoop, virtually
all restrictions and agreements that have been built up over the years
through experience to protect consumers and the public interest in
telecom franchising here in Illinois. Their vehicle is the execrable
Illinois House Bill HB1500, scheduled for committee TODAY. Bills almost
as bad as HB1500 have been passed in several states. But in others,
citizens have successfully fought off the telecom giants' well funded
and deceptive legislation.
Called a "money grab" bill by Illinois State Rep. Lou Lang, HB 1500:
* Eliminates the local consumer complaint process, sending it to far
away state government offices
* Cripples public, educational, and government access funding
* Encourages "redlining"
* Does not ensure a free and open internet
If AT&T wants to play ball and compete, make them play by the same local
franchising rules the cable companies play by. With cable and broadband
rates sky high, and internet speeds lagging behind many other nations,
we need better service and lower rates. Not HB1500. With citizen pressure,
consideration of any version of this bill in the Illinois Senate has been
successfully blocked. Let's keep it that way.
Chicago Media Action urges you to take action now, TODAY, to stop HB1500.
Go to the "Keep us Connected" Coaliton web site here -
http://www.keepusconnected.org/
and follow the instructions to let your Illinois State Representatives
and Senators know that you oppose HB 1500. Protect public access and
local franchise control. TODAY.
Text of HB1500, etc. -- http://tinyurl.com/34kdqa
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This is an email from Chicago Media Action, a Chicago activist
group devoted to media issues.
Chicago Media Action, P.O. Box 14140, Chicago IL 60614-0140
Call toll-free: 1-866-260-7198
Web: http://www.chicagomediaaction.org
E-mail: cma@chicagomediaaction.org
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